Refsnyder: “I should be able to do whatever the team asks of me.”

Rob Refsnyder has made strong progress as a second baseman. But his immediate future in the big leagues might not see him turning double plays. Times-Tribune photo by Jake D. Stevens

How far from his mind was a move back to the outfield?

Rob Refsnyder didn’t even carry an outfielder’s glove with him anymore.

“I actually had to call Rawlings, and they overnighted one,” Refsnyder laughed. “Then I had to get it in shape for the whole day.”

Refsnyder’s re-debut in right field for the RailRiders was supposed to have occurred on Tuesday night. Rain prevented that, so in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against Charlotte, the Yankees’ second baseman of the future found himself back in right — the position he played when he became a star at the University of Arizona — for the first time since 2012. He didn’t do too badly, either. He had two chances, one an easy pop up and the other quite a bit more challenging. He didn’t exactly haul it in with a full-out dive as he sprinted to his right, but it was very close. It was the play of the game, and not exactly the type of play a right field newbie could have pulled off. Just ask Jose Pirela, who has deftly handled shifts from second base to left field to first base, while continuing to struggle judging the tricky angles off the bat in right.

He said what you figured he’d say, really. That being back in the outfield was fun, maybe more fun than he thought it would be. He felt comfortable out there, like he was greeting an old friend he hadn’t seen in a while. Certainly, getting reacquainted to right field now won’t be as difficult as learning second base was these last two years.

We all know the story by now: Brian Cashman told John Harper of The Daily News earlier this week that, if Refsnyder is going to get the call in the next few weeks, it’s likely going to be as an outfielder, where the Yankees suddenly need help. Carlos Beltran has had a myriad of injury issues and just broke two bones in his face during a freak batting practice accident yesterday. They designated the struggling Alfonso Soriano for assignment on Sunday. Suddenly, Brian Roberts hovering around .250 at second base doesn’t seem to bother anybody too much.

All the while, Refsnyder continues to pound Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .320 average and .997 OPS. The Yankees need bats. They need young players. And at the moment, they really need outfielders.

Makes sense to some people to just move Refsnyder back out there. Doesn’t make sense to many others who realize how much work it has taken — and how much progress could be impeded — by using the franchise’s second baseman of the future to plug a hole for a team that might not be a legit pennant contender anyway.

For his part, Refsnyder said, again, what you might figure he would when asked his take on being back in the outfield and away from second, for however long that’s going to last.

“Yeah, I’ve put in a lot of work (at second). But it’s one of those things where you’re under the control of the Yankees, and you want to do what’s best for the Yankees and the best for this team,” Refsnyder said. “I think it’s kind of important to keep it in perspective. I should be able to do whatever the team asks of me. That has always been kind of my m.o. I’m a team player. Whatever the coaching staff wants, I’ll do.”

There are a lot of great qualities about Refsnyder — I don’t think he’s going to be just a very good second baseman in the big leagues, but a terrific leader once he puts his time in, too — and you could sense there’s a sense of selflessness about him. Ideally, he’d get to continue the work he has put in at second base, which has made him a pretty solid defender there. Realistically, things happen and plans change and he is being asked to stunt that growth for a while as the Yankees try their best to hold on to whatever this 2014 squad may have left to try desperately to stay in contention.

I asked Refsnyder if he had been told whether his time at second base with the RailRiders, at least for the time being, is over. He said he didn’t know. Here’s hoping it isn’t, because they’d essentially have to ask him to work twice as hard this offseason if they ultimately want him to get back to second base next season. It hardly seems fair, when there are other outfielders — Zoilo Almonte, Jose Pirela, even Adonis Garcia — who could fill in as an extra outfielder in the bigs. And this is by no means a knock on Refsnyder’s readiness to play in the bigs right now. He is ready. He will hit.

The thing fans are going to struggle with is the idea that the Yankees are in dire need of a youth movement. The amount of attention Refsnyder has been drawing from big league fans has placed him on the border of phenom status. If the Yankees called him up today, he’d be no worse than the second-biggest reason to follow the team in many of their minds, behind Derek Jeter in his final year. Even a small risk of stunting his growth at second to allow a veteran like Roberts to play seems counter-productive. The Yankees haven’t looked to the future at the big league level in two decades, and a guy like Refsnyder should at least be the impetus for considering now to be the time.

But from his standpoint, Refsnyder is doing what is asked, and he plans to do it as well as he can. And he hopes soon, he can do it in the big leagues.

Baseball isn't limited to box scores and game stories, and neither is baseball news. Stay in the know with insight, breaking news and other RailRiders nuggets from Times-Tribune beat writer Donnie Collins. He'll check in regularly with transactions, game-day information and more than a few opinions.